Iron Past Fifty is about strength, skill, and longevity after fifty.
For many people, martial arts and physical training are something they associate with youth. But the pursuit of skill, discipline, and resilience does not have to end with age. In many ways, it becomes more meaningful.
This site reflects a lifetime of exposure to martial arts culture, decades of training, and the continuing effort to adapt and improve as the body changes over time.
My Martial Arts Timeline
My awareness of martial arts began in the early 1960s, long before martial arts schools were common in the United States. Like many people of that era, my earliest exposure came through television and popular culture.
Actual martial arts training began in 1973 and has continued in different forms ever since. Over the decades the journey has included traditional martial arts, combat sports, conditioning, teaching experience, and the constant process of adapting training to injuries and age.
Training Background
• Early exposure to martial arts culture during the 1960s martial arts boom
• Began formal training in 1973
• Tang Soo Do training in Korea under Yun Tak Bong (Chodan, Yidan, instructor certification)
• Experience with law enforcement defensive tactics
• Later training in kendo, boxing, Jeet Kune Do, Muay Thai, and Tai Chi
• Continued training into my 60s with a focus on strength, skill, and longevity